By Edward Vamboi
Orange Sierra Leone Mobile Company, on Tuesday 16th June 2020, donated a consignment of food items worth over Ninety Million Leones (Le 90,000,000) to the Sierra Leone Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (SLCCIA) comprising 100 Bags of Rice, 100 Gallons of Cooking Oil, 100 Bags of Onions, 100 Boxes of cube Maggie, 100 Cartoons of Tomato etc. in order for them to undertake a distribution of the aforementioned items to One Hundred Quarantined Homes within the Freetown municipality. The donation ceremony took place at the Sierra Leone Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture Office on Charlotte Street in Freetown.
In his statement, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility Orange- Sierra Leone, Desmond Spaine, stated how the donation is part of the company’s corporate social responsibility maintaining that it is one of their key pillars as a telecommunications company in the country.
He said they have been working closely with the Government of Sierra Leone in scaling up efforts to curtail the spread of COVID-19 in the country, adding that since the country recorded its first positive index case they have been playing pivotal roles underscoring that up till now they are working in that direction in order to combat the spread of the coronavirus with the avowed objective of restoring normalcy.
Desmond Spaine revealed that the donation materialized as a response to the request made by the Sierra Leone Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in order to partner with them to undertake the said donation to quarantined homes as their contribution in their contribution to fight the pandemic in the country.
He disclosed that at this crucial moment like they cannot imagine what quarantine homes are going through which was why they responded to the request to symbolically hand over the food items with the belief that when distributed to quarantined homes across the country such will support the fight against the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
Unveiling the package, he said ,Orange as a company is presenting 100 Bags of Rice, 100 Gallons of Cooking Oil, 100 Bags of Onions, 100 Boxes of cube Maggie, 100 Cartoon Tomato etc to the Sierra Leone Chamber of Commerce Industry and Agriculture as the lead facilitator for the distribution process.
He encouraged those in Quarantined homes, who will benefit from the donated items to receive them in good faith advising them to adhere to the preventive measures instituted by the Government of Sierra Leone in order to curtail the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
Receiving the items, the Chief Executive Officer of the Sierra Leone Chamber of Commerce Industry and Agriculture, James .S. Koroma, expressed appreciation to Orange Sierra Leone stating how they are very happy for the intervention of the company and donation of the items to them with the understanding of them undertaking onward donation to 100 Quarantined Homes.
He said the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic has affected all sectors in the country especially the health of Sierra Leoneans and social lifestyles, noting that it has also brought a massive halt to business activities and supply chains leading to some companies closing down operations.
He stated that as an umbrella organization that supervises the private sector they had been working tirelessly to be very supportive in the fight stating how they have been sensitizing their members on the causes and prevention of COVID-19 as a way to complement the efforts of Government in curtailing the spread of the coronavirus in the country.
Head of Public Relations Orange Sierra Leone, Annie Wonnie, in her concluding statement said expressed delight for giving the food items to the Sierra Leone Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture for undertaking the exercise stating how they will help to support and to help the beneficiaries because they are in need of food items.
